A Classic New York Slice
More slices should aspire to taste like Tony's on Graham
Welcome to Pizza Tasting Chronicles, my take on the pizza review. I eat a lot of pizza. I have a lot of opinions about pizza. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Its fitting that Tony’s Pizza should be the first slice I review. The shop was nearby my first apartment in Brooklyn when I moved to the borough back in [redacted]. I grew up in New Jersey with arguably better pizza than Brooklyn. I said it, fight me.
But Tony’s has the stuff.
There’s actually a lot of guys named Tony making pizza in North Brooklyn. In this case, I’m talking about Tony’s on Graham Avenue (who may not be named Tony anymore). There are two other Tony’s, both on Knickerbocker and unrelated, that I think of as inferior.
Tony’s on Graham is my go to. It’s great for delivery, but as a slice shop, it’s my neighborhood go-to. Tony’s has been evolving quite a bit since I first started eating there. I’m taking a guess here, but I believe the current owner took over the shop sometime in the years since I started coming here. Now there are tables with vinyl table cloths, rainbow cookies, and an espresso machine.
There’s still a coin-op Pac-Man and the old neighborhood guys sitting around the table in the back debating the Yankees and the Mets and whatever other sports team is on the television. This is a classic Italian American pizzeria.
The regular slice is one of the best in the city. It’s super thin and crispy, but under the top layer of cheese, soft and and saucy. It’s not too dry, like some slices get these days. What I particularly like about the crust here is the edge is crispy and thin. It doesn’t grow out of the control like some crusts, or bubble up, or burn.
Tony’s pops the bubbles. When the pizza is in the oven, if a bubble starts growing from the dough in the center of the pie, someone reaches in and dab the dough to flatten it again. I generally prefer pizza where the bubbles have been popped because there is less disruption to the cheese and toppings, and sometimes those bubbles are just not good eats.
The sauce on this slice is savory, not too sweet and with a light bit of oregano. There’s a good ratio of sauce and cheese, and it doesn’t dry out.
Tony’s has other fancy pies. The pizza selection has grown a bit more varied in the last year or two. There’s also pan pizzas like grandma and Sicilian slices. The selection varies from day-to-day. On my most recent trip, there a breadcrumb-topped pie, and there’s usually a variety of vodka-sauced pies too.
Tony’s is the ideal, the epitome of the pizza slice, what others should measure themselves against. I’m fortunate to have this gem within walking distance.
Tony’s Pizza
355 Graham Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211